Disney Consumer Products (DCP) and ASUS worked together to
develop the Netpal, a web-safe netbook computer that is fun and
easy for kids to use. (© Disney)
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The Asus Disney Netpal Netbook for kids ages 6 to 12 provides children with their own portable PC that has been designed specifically to allow them to have a magical, easy to use, and Web-safe computing experience.
Disney Consumer Products provided booth visitors with a sneak peek preview of the Disney Netpal by ASUS at BlogHer '09. Following find information about and impressions of this cute kid-friendly netbook computer.
Specifications of Disney Netpal
The Disney Netpal comes in two models – the ASUS MK90H and the ASUS MK90 (available exclusively at Toys R Us). Both versions come with features like Windows XP Home, an 8.9" LED-backlit screen, Wi-Fi capabilities, an Intel ATOM N270 CPU, a VGA port, 3 USB ports, 2 audio jacks (headphone out and mic-in), a 0.3 megapixel webcam, and a 5 hour battery life. Durable enough to stand up to rough handling by kids, the Disney Netpal also comes with a spill-proof keyboard and ShockShield data protection guards to protect information if the computer is dropped on a hard surface.
Where the two models differ is that the Toys R Us exclusive ASUS MK90 comes with 16-gigabyte Flash SSD memory, while the ASUS MK90H holds a 160-gigabyte spinning drive.
The ASUS Disney Netpal Netbook for kids shown in
Disney Magic Blue. (© Disney)
Kid-friendly safe online experience
Parents wary of letting children browse the Web unsupervised or come into contact with dangerous outside influences or unsuitable content can rest assured that Disney has optimized the Disney Netpal by ASUS for Web-safety by including many parental control options.
- The settings for the computer are hidden behind a password protected parental log-in screen.
- Parents can choose which e-mail addresses kids can receive mail from, which browsers children can access, which Web sites children can visit, and which programs kids can use.
- Parents can also program specific times when kids are and are not allowed to access certain features like e-mail.
- The desktop that children can access does not even have a space where kids could input a URL to travel to forbidden Web sites.
The ASUS Disney Netpal netbook computer for kids
shown in Disney Princess Pink. (© Disney)
Disney Netpal by ASUS features
Disney and ASUS designed the Netpal to provide an intuitive and easy to navigate computing experience. The Disney Desktop gadget tray is full of large picture icons that stand for the various applications. The Disney Browser comes preprogrammed to access several kid-friendly Disney Web sites, and parents have the option to add other Web destinations that they feel are safe for their children to visit.
The Disney Netpal Netbook also comes with Disney-developed applications, fun kid-friendly software, and widgets such as:
- Disney Mix, the Disney Netpal version of iTunes, for organizing children's downloaded music and media and allowing them to purchase and download more content.
- Disney Pix, for organizing and photo editing pictures downloaded to the Netpal (especially from the compatible kid-friendly Disney Pix Jr. Digital Camera for kids).
- The FunCam option acts like Mac Photo Booth, allowing kids to take and add special effects to webcam pictures.
- With Disney Bobblehead software, kids can paste pictures of faces on top of different bodies and insert the bodies into videos or postcards to make funny moving dancing scenes.
- A Radio Disney widget allows kids to stream real-time music and send in requests for specific songs.
- Other kid-friendly widgets and games include a calculator, a stopwatch, electronic sticky reminder notes, a driving game, a memory game, and a photo scrapbook.
The Disney Netpal by ASUS is designed to provide
consumers with an easy set-up experience. (© Disney)
Customizable personal netbook for kids
The Disney Netpal by ASUS comes in two colors so far – Disney Pink Princess and Disney Magic Blue. Children can further personalize their Disney netbooks by selecting one of 10 customizable desktop themes that use characters from popular Disney franchises such as PIXAR movies (Cars, Toy Story, and WALL-E), Disney lines (Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princesses, Vintage Mickey Mouse), and tween brands (Hannah Montana and JONAS).
Pros of ASUS Disney Netpal Notebook
Sized for kids' smaller hands and fingers, this netbook computer for children is easy to use, safe, fun, tough, and will help kids become computer literate through mastering skills such as how to compose and send e-mails, how to use a computer keyboard and mouse, how to navigate Web sites, and how to use programs to do everything from organizing music to photo editing.
The ASUS Disney Netpal netbook computer for kids
is sized for small hands. (© Disney)
Cons of ASUS Disney Netpal Notebook
The lack of a CD-ROM drive on this netbook means that families can only play movies and music files that have been downloaded from the Internet or through a USB cord, instead of just popping in a DVD or CD. Parents may feel pressured to automatically buy the pink princess version for girls or the blue color scheme for boys, reinforcing gender stereoypes about what toys are for boys and for girls.
Purchasing a personal computer for kids
Some parents worry that their children will fall behind their peers if not taught computer skills at an early age. Families that would like to encourage computer literacy in kids will find the Disney Netpal a helpful tool in this task.
As safe and well-designed as it is, the Disney Netpal by
ASUS cannot take the place of involved parental
supervision over children's computing time. (© Disney)
Families where parents and kids are competing for time on the family PC may also find this personal computer for kids a smart buy. With it, kids can spend time visiting safe virtual world Web sites like Club Penguin, e-mailing approved friends, and chatting online while parents can take care of their own business in peace on the main family computer.
The most important thing to keep in mind when purchasing a personal PC for kids is to set limits. The parental controls and features included with the Disney Netpal do not take the place of a parent keeping tabs on how long kids are spending online and telling children when it is time to turn the computer off and get some exercise outside, but they do make it easier to protect kids and limit the time they spend staring at a computer screen.
Where to find the ASUS Disney Netpal Netbook
This ASUS netbook for kids will ship in September 2009 from the online Disney Store Web site and amazon. The ASUS MK90 is available now at Toys R Us. Suggested retail price is $349.99. Parents can buy Netpal accessories such as a Neoprene Protective Case, a Notebook Carrying Case and Screen Protector Kit, and a Belkin Retractable Optical Mouse.
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Comments
Thanks for posting this. Very helpful!
Thanks.I really want this laptop!
Wow! now ill never worry about wasting time on the computer ill tell my dad to buy me one! I REALLY LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
I REALLLLLYYY WANT THIS COMPUTERRRRRRR! but my dad wont get me it! ill keep asking but I AM saving up so maybe I can buy it! :D yayayayayayayayayay
I saw this around christmas time, and thought what a wonderful gift so I went online and searched for childrens netbooks. I found one that functions much like my Iphone the kids are always playing with. The screen orientation changes depending on the way they turn it and many other great features you can find it at www.kidcomputers.com.
Jason its called the ipad. its an ereader that can help kids read their favorite books and play a few games and even download movies. this is a product for all ages even adults because apple has currently been able to put in a copy of pages and keynote (apples version of microsoft fully compatible with microsoft) and soon with an update you will be able to wirelessley print. you can check it out at www.apple.com
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